Rajiv Kumar, who oversaw LS, J&K polls, demits office

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During his tenure, Kumar repeatedly dismissed these claims, labelling them as baseless. Even in his final media interaction on January 7, while announcing the Delhi Assembly election schedule, he urged the public to ignore “jhooth ke gubbare” (spreading lies) about EVM manipulation.

Throughout the past year, he consistently faced opposition scrutiny, particularly during press briefings on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and various state polls. In response, Kumar detailed the rigorous security measures around EVMs, emphasising that they are commissioned just days before polling, sealed under strict surveillance and monitored by candidate-appointed agents. He also pointed out that India’s highest courts had ruled 42 times that EVMs were not hackable.

Kumar’s four-and-a-half-year stint at the Election Commission included three years as CEC, during which he oversaw 31 Assembly elections and the 2024 general elections. His tenure also saw the first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.

However, his leadership was not without controversy. The Election Commission faced criticism over delays in releasing voter turnout data during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. More recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Maharashtra’s voter base had inexplicably increased by 39 lakh between the Lok Sabha polls (April-June 2024) and the state Assembly elections (November 2024).

Kumar was succeeded by Gyanesh Kumar, who had been serving as an Election Commissioner since March 2024.

A 1984-batch IAS officer of the Bihar-Jharkhand cadre, Kumar joined the Election Commission as Election Commissioner in September 2020, replacing Ashok Lavasa. Lavasa had reportedly clashed with then CEC Sunil Arora over model code of conduct (MCC) violations by high-profile politicians during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Despite being next in line for CEC, Lavasa resigned before assuming the role.

Kumar took charge as CEC on May 15, 2022, following Sushil Chandra’s retirement. His first major responsibility was overseeing the 2022 Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections. He had previously managed the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections—India’s first large-scale polls during the Covid pandemic.

In his farewell address, Kumar lamented that the Election Commission was often made a “scapegoat” by those unwilling to accept electoral outcomes. His departure marks the end of a tenure defined by both electoral oversight and intense political scrutiny.